1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the general art of hand-operated food choppers. More specifically, the invention relates to that type of food chopper having a convoluted blade which is reciprocated by hand action, and is usually used in the kitchen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is best exemplified by the inventor's prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,308, now expired. As will be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,308, the chopper is intended for use on a cutting board or other flat surface, but is open at the bottom. In addition, to be noted, is the rather narrow support for the shaft as it penetrates the upper housing thus creating problems of alignment between the convoluted cutting blade and the stripper. Another prior art type of food chopper is exemplified in Carl Zysset U.S. Pat. No. 2,782,826. However, one of the difficulties inherent in this device is a possibility of friction attributable to food stuffs becoming wedged between portions of the convoluted blade, and thereby deflecting the same to bind against the slots in the stripper. Any dimensional instability, whether attributable to the bending of the blades, or deflection of the blades as a result of inadequate guidance of the shaft which reciprocates upwardly and downwardly, can result in binding and decrease the effectiveness of the unit and increase the amount of effort required for chopping. Furthermore, with food choppers of the type just described, after the food is chopped, there still remains the manual problem of directing the same into further food processing equipment, whether in a jar, glass, frying pan, salad or the like. No provision is made with the food choppers of the known art for this function.
Another drawback of the prior art food choppers relates to the handle element. It is apparent that the operator must apply a considerable amount of force to operate the chopper, and it has been found that this causes a significant amount of inconvenience and possible pain to the operator's palm.